Lost in Time
by Elias Edge
Summary: It really wasn't his fault! Why didn't the Yondaime Hokage have another damn Kunai to seal that thing? Now he was stuck in the past with Yamato and he can't even go to Konoha because Yamato said so... At least Sara was nice enough to let him stay. Naruto x Sara
1. Chapter 1

AN: As promised, an unusual pairing.

Let's make this easy, I really wanted to see a fic with this pairing for some time, which isn't some kind of bashfest or well… not quite readable by grammatical and spelling standards, or even just a one-shot - Not that I will have both perfect, sorry :P

First of all, I will use one theory on time travel, including alternate universes! Yay. Which means, okay, you go to that point in the past and what happens? Alternate Universe created, even if you were to kill your ancestors, you would still exist, because it's not this universe you were born in.

Genius, right? *bullshit excuse*.

Also, I took Sara's birthday just from the birthday of her Seiyuu.

Chapter 1: Stranded

They did it, Ryumyaku was sealed away and Mukade was beaten. Roran was safe.

"It would be better if we seal with the memories of today, so we can be sure that the future isn't changed," Minato told Naruto.

"But! You said you had something to explain to me!"

"Yes," Minato formed a hand seal, "but not now, I am sure we will meet again some day."

"But-"

An explosion went through the temple and suddenly the Kunai that Minato used to seal away the Ryumyaku shattered.

"N-Naruto… the seal on the Kunai, was it hit by some attack?"

"Ah… maybe?" Naruto looked confused when the white glow around him and Yamato disappeared. Minato facepalmed. "Wha- wait, what is happening?"

Naruto panicked while Yamato's face turned impossibly serious.

"It seems you are… fixed in this timeline, maybe?" Minato explained.

"What does that mean!?" Naruto didn't really understand much, but it didn't sound good in any way.

"It means, Naruto," Yamato clenched his fists, "we can't return to Sakura and Sai."

"Ah…" Naruto slipped backwards and fell on the floor, looking visibly shaken. "Wh… do… why…"

Sara came up to him and put her hand on his shoulder.

"My… my friends… Sasuke…" Naruto muttered.

"I think it would be better if we evacuate everyone first and think later!" Minato shouted as another explosion rang through the temple.

Naruto shook himself out of his stupor and tried standing, but his legs were too weak now outside of the battle. Yamato picked both him and Sara up and followed after Minato, who jumped towards his team.

—

An hour later they were seated in the throne room, Minato glaring at Naruto for the broken seal. Sara sat besides Naruto, who was still unresponsive.

"I think now that we can't bring you back, I might just explain it to you," Naruto heard Minato say, making him look towards the fellow blonde, "I'm Namikaze Minato, and I think you might be my son."

"Wha-" Naruto wasn't really ready to hear that. He wasn't ready to hear anything besides 'You can return to your friends'. His friends weren't even born yet!

"Let me explain," Yamato stood in front of them both, "because both of us wish to avoid changes in time, I will make it short, on the day you were born, your father died. Your mother did too."

This time it was Minato's turn to look wide-eyed at Yamato. But he had at least more self-control than Naruto, if he asked now, it wouldn't mean anything good. With this, he would at least have a few hints.

Naruto nodded, that much he knew.

"I… have information for Konoha, that can save us from great evils," Yamato explained, "and maybe the future will be changed by it, but you might just remember that we can't return anyway. It's blocked."

"Yes, the seal is in place, but it didn't reverse the effects that brought you back." Minato confirmed.

"What should we do then?" Naruto shouted, standing up and throwing his hand behind him. "Sakura and Sai, what are they doing right now?"

"They will live their lives without us." Yamato told him honestly and Naruto sat down again.

"N-Naruto," Sara began, looking nervous. Naruto turned to her, still not quite accepting the situation as it is, "I want you to know, you can stay here in Roran if you have no other place to go…"

—

Minato and Yamato went into another room to have a more confident talk.

"I know how we are going to die, probably," Minato scratched the back of his head, "what you said was obvious enough, and you are right, the timeline has gone awry, any changes done will probably not mess with your timeline. It's… bad, I assume the seal was in place in your timeline?"

Yamato nodded.

"That means that this seal would have been the one in the future, any other applied now will still not send you back."

"I have no idea what you actually mean," Yamato smiled, "not really that good in those time-space ninjutsu… but I still wish the best for Konoha, if it might get rid of us around this time, it might still be for the best."

"I am still not sure if I should…" Minato muttered.

"Maybe you can live a life with your child then," Yamato sighed sadly, "Naruto… he didn't have a good life. His childhood didn't go well in the village."

Minato swallowed hard and turned to the door to the throne room, where Sara was still trying to comfort Naruto.

"We… we can bring you to Sandaime-sama." Minato said. "But he, I am not sure what exactly might happen if Kushina meets him, she might very well force him to stay."

"Heheh…" Yamato actually chuckled, he heard about Kushina… she was pretty much Naruto with a more unbendable will. If she wanted something, she would go through mountains to get it.

"Subtle changes, right?" Minato asked him, making him look questioningly, "you will only tell the Sandaime about it, and he will look into it. Time travel isn't really something everyone would be ready to believe."

"Of course, Minato-sama." Yamato grinned. Minato glared at him.

—

"I… thank you, Sara." Naruto said, standing up as Yamato came back with Minato. "What now, Captain?"

"I will go to Konoha," Yamato explained, "and you will not, but I will explain to you why. Not now, at least. Maybe one day soon."

"What!?" Naruto shouted, pointing angrily at Yamato. "Why can you go bac-"

Right. It isn't back anymore.

"Because I have information on what happened along these twenty-one years," Yamato said, "and you do not, and I will only report to the Hokage only, after that I will probably come back here."

"Ah," Naruto nodded, sullen at the reminder that the village isn't what it used to be, "the… the old man, he is there, isn't he?" Yamato nodded. "At least tell him it would be a honor to meet him one day."

Naruto turned around and left through a window.

—

It took a few hours for Sara to find him again, standing near the tower where he saved her from falling.

"Gah… what should I do now!" Naruto shouted at no one in particular, kicking a wall and then gripping his foot "Ouch, ouch, ouuuch!"

Sara couldn't help it, she chuckled, which made Naruto turn around.

"Ah, Sara."

"That's Queen Sara," she stuck out her tongue at him, making him chuckle too.

"Sure, _Queen_ Sara," Naruto corrected with a dry tone, "what does this queen wish with this lonesome ninja?"

Sara sighed.

"I will be honest with you, Naruto," Sara told him, putting her hands together behind her, "I like you, you saved my life and I don't think I would be able to rule this kingdom without you having helped me here. Also…"

Naruto was blushing already at her hasted confession.

"I would love for you to be my minister, now that A… no, Mukade is gone," she admitted.

"B-but I have no idea how to be a minister!"

"And I have no idea how to be a queen," she said.

"I'm sure you will be a great queen in the end."

"So, then you will be a good minister! What do you say?"

Naruto scratched his cheek, still unsure.

"And the other thing…" Sara began again, this time with a blush on her cheeks, "you don't have to answer me today…"

"Ah…" Naruto's face was red again and he coughed nervously, "h-how about we, I don't know… talk about it over dinner?"

Sara's smile was so bright and warm, it could have turned the Land of Fire into a desert.

—

Now that the danger was gone, the very next day they had another coronation planned.

Sara stood on high at a balcon, all subjects under her.

"Good morning, citizens of Roran!" She shouted, and she was greeted back. "To my deepest regret, I have to tell you that Anrokuzan turned out to be a traitor. He was the one that killed my mother… and the one that tried to assassinate me."

Those that didn't know shouted in outrage at the crime against their new queen.

"My life was saved though, by this man here, who will take Anrokuzan's place on my side, helping me to lead our kingdom into a better age!" She pointed behind her and Naruto stepped forward. "This is Uzumaki Naruto, minister of Roran!"

The crowd shouted in approval, and Minato's team stood behind them with Yamato smiling proudly at his student.

"Ah… hello?" Naruto called, looking down nervously. "I… I'm not really that good in speeches, but I know that will be able to protect her and aid Sara wherever she needs me. Thank you."

The crowd's tone made their approval obvious.

—

"Don't take too long, captain." Naruto told Yamato on the day of their departure.

"Of course," Yamato smiled, "and you don't go waging wars. Take care."

Naruto grinned and crossed his arms.

Minato didn't know what exactly he had to say to his son, Naruto didn't really see him as a father. Not that he could blame him, considering the fact he grew up as an orphan.

"Goodbye… Naruto." Minato muttered.

Naruto turned around, smiling sadly as he went back to Sara. He nodded to Minato and didn't turn back to him again.

—

It took a few days for most repairs to be finished and Naruto sat with Sara at the promised dinner. Naruto was put into more formal robes by some of the servers, which made him even more nervous, scratching his neck the whole time where the robes were a bit too tight.

"You know a lot about me already," Sara said, smiling at Naruto, "why don't you tell me about you?"

"Uh…" Naruto wasn't really sure when to begin.

"How about your birthday? Mine is on May 29th." Sara helped.

"October 10th, it's… not really a day I celebrate though," Naruto told her, "like you heard, my parents died on that day, when our village was attacked."

Sara looked sympathetic, she had her time with her mother and wasn't sure how everything would have gone had her mother died before she could take care of herself…

"I'm sorry," she said, "don't forget, you might meet your mother after all."

"But… she isn't my mother, is she?" Naruto asked, a false smile on his face. "She's just some woman who might one day give birth to Uzumaki Naruto."

"Don't smile like that!" She ordered. "Hiding your true emotions is unfitting of the minister, no deceit in front of the queen!"

Naruto actually laughed at that and she pouted.

"Sorry, it's… nothing, really. I'm just wondering about my friends," Naruto explained, "you don't need to worry, as long as I'm here no one will ever hurt you again."

Sara blushed at his bluntness, that gullible honest hero personality he had…

"You still didn't give me an answer," Sara reminded him, to which he blushed too. She smirked.

"Ah," Naruto scratched his red tinged cheek again, "I, I mean, I really don't mind this," he pointed around him. "Having dinner with you, talking with you. But, back home… there was a girl I liked."

"I understand," she looked down, her voice filled with sadness.

"But," Naruto went on, making her look up again, "she isn't even born yet, is she? And even if I meet her again, I will be an old man, and she will be just as I remembered her. I really don't mind sitting together with you again."

Generally outspoken, Naruto wasn't used to the fact he couldn't find the words he wanted to tell her. It wasn't a simple 'I like you' like he said it to Sakura. It was… slightly more complicated, he guessed.

"Then… let me tell you, I really like you, honestly!" Sara started. "You saved me, and you showed me that I could be a good queen if I tried, you are strong and nice!"

"I really like you hair," Naruto said without missing a beat, "I'm not sure why, but red hair… I really think it's pretty."

Both sat across each other, their faces red. The rest of the dinner was silent.

—

Everything went more quiet after that, the repairs were finished and everyone that was injured in the fighting was well again.

Only, it couldn't have stayed like that.

"Sara-sama!" A guard rushed in, interrupting Naruto's and Sara's discussion about why Ramen was or was not the food of gods respectively. "The Sandaime Kazekage came personally to meet you!"

Naruto's eyes widened at that. Of course, the past meant that Gaara's father wasn't Kazekage yet, and Gaara wasn't born too…

"Send him in." Sara ordered before turning to Naruto. "Do you know anything about him?"

"General stuff," Naruto answered, "strongest Kazekage in history, the Yondaime and Godaime barely reached his level with similar abilities… he can control Iron Sand. I think he and the Yondaime might be related."

It was a sound argument, both used the Magnet Release, and both had the abilities to stop Shukaku at any given moment by the use or Iron Sand and Gold Dust respectively.

"Greetings, Queen Sara," the Sandaime Kazekage was seated in front of her throne a few minutes later, behind him two guards, one that looked suspiciously like an older Gaara… the Yondaime, Naruto realized.

The other one was cloaked.

"I bid you welcome in my kingdom, Sandaime-dono," Sara greeted him politely and gestured to Naruto at her side, "this is my minister, Naruto."

Both agreed that saying a name that could be of his mother in Konoha would be bad. He didn't know how well anyone knew her, after all. And from what Sara told him, the Uzumaki clan was something everyone around this time heard about.

Naruto bowed, but said nothing, his eyes still fixated on Gaara's father.

"We have heard of your former ministers betrayal," the Sandaime began, not hesitating, "I have a suggestion how both Roran and Sunagakure can benefit from an alliance."

"Speak your terms then, I don't have time to deal with ninja, this is a peaceful kingdom," Sara snapped. Naruto raised his eyebrows at her tone.

Since she released the men that worked underneath the kingdom and all puppets have been destroyed, the kingdom was truly happy to have her as queen. She was happy about that, and happy about Naruto helping her.

"War is coming," the Sandaime Kazekage said, "the Third Shinobi War is on our doorsteps and I believe that a marriage would be an advantage to unite our village and your kingdom."

The Third War… Naruto reminded himself, it was the war where Kakashi got his Sharingan and Obito died, Kakashi told him once.

It was the war where Yahiko died and Pein was born in Nagato's stead.

"I refuse," Sara said simply.

"But Sara-sama, just think about it," the Sandaime wasn't disturbed by her lack of faith in the plan, no, he expected it, "this is my nephew, the one I am training to be my successor. Imagine the queen of Roran and the Yondaime Kazekage…"

"I refuse," she repeated, "I already have a man in my life, and my mother ruled this kingdom without-"

"Too bad," the Sandaime interrupted her and abruptly stood up, leaving with his guards.

A few seconds later, Naruto blocked a Kunai coming from the left that would have struck her head.

"The left one," Naruto could see it, barely but visible, "puppeteer, a good one. We won't be able to prove it right now, but he is right. With the war, we will need to prepare."

"You… you know something, don't you?" Sara asked, her skin pale after her coming face to face with death again.

"I…" Naruto wasn't sure if he should tell her, he couldn't.

"Naruto, please." She pleaded, standing up from her throne.

"When I came here… Roran was completely gone," Naruto told her, his eyes not leaving the door the Sandaime left through. Sara gasped in shock, "the third war, it took Roran from the face of earth, and I never heard anything about survivors."

Sara fell back to the throne, her legs suddenly weak.

"Don't worry," Naruto told her, grabbing her shoulders, "I said I will protect you! Even if this kingdom will fall, we will rebuild it!"

"Th-thank you." Sara wiped her eyes. "Really, thank you, Naruto."

"No problem, Queen Sara." Naruto grinned.

"It's Sara to you," she stuck her tongue out.

"Stop asking for something else all the time…" Naruto muttered, "make up your damn mind…"

"A damn mind it is, hmm?" She asked, her eyebrow twitching. She grabbed around his neck and rubbed her knuckles over his hair, "I will show you DAMN!"

"GAH!" Naruto shouted, his head hurting, he moved his hands towards her and tickled. She stopped, laughing. "Ohh, the queen is tickly, heh?"

"N-Naruto… stop this! I order it!"

"Gahahahah!" Naruto moved towards her, his hands in tickle motion.

At least he got her to smile again, the Sandaime Kazekage… Roran's downfall. These things could wait. He wasn't sure when exactly the war would begin, but skirmishes were already there. That meant the war would come soon. Too soon.

He wasn't sure he was ready for that.

— CHAPTER END

AN: I know, I know, this is short, I guess. But this is the story BESIDES my main story right now: Naruto - RPG Life Sucks. I will get to this when I have time, so don't expect two-days or one-day updates like with the other. But that also means that as long as Naruto - RPG Life Sucks goes on, this one won't be abandoned.

Next Up: Yamato in Konoha, the beginning of a war, Naruto meets an elderly priest before his death.

If you like it, leave a review. If you have a question or suggestion, send a PM :)


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Well… I promised a second chapter somewhen. I am assuming that this plays after Kakuzu's death considering Fuuton: Rasenshuriken but before his Sage training.

But I realized I made a mistake and mentioned Nagato last chapter, so I will just say that Naruto never had enough time to gather Sage Chakra. -bullshit excuse-

Chapter 2: A man like a Sage

—

"Yamato… or Tenzo?" Hiruzen asked, looking at Minato's report. "You understand that we can't really claim you are from the future, but I believe you because Minato explained it to me, you have information about the war?"

Yamato bowed, the presence of this legend in front of him in his prime. He wouldn't admit it, but he missed the old Hokage.

"Yes, I believe that Naruto also knows things that I don't know of," Yamato says, "due to special circumstances I couldn't take him with me, but he will take care of them himself, he said."

"How sure are you that this… Naruto, is an ally of the leaf?" Hiruzen asked.

"I would throw myself into the depths of hell to save him," Yamato answered, looking at his palm where the tails that Naruto unleashes would be shown, "Tsunade gave him the necklace of her grandfather, the boy wished to be Hokage."

Which would be impossible by now, taking him into the village would open too many questions. Also, Yamato's younger self would probably be already in Danzo's hands.

Hiruzen nodded, he would send Yamato to the Yamanaka first of course, but he would trust him as much as Minato trusted him.

"Please write down anything you know of the war, anything that might help us," He said, "also… what exactly triggers the war?"

"Hatake Sakumo," Yamato said reluctantly, "the war went on for… six years, I believe, the exact date isn't too sure, but it began with Hatake Sakumo abandoning a mission to rescue his teammates."

Yamato still wasn't too sure about the exact date, but Kakashi wasn't a Jonin yet, which means that the war hasn't happened yet.

Hiruzen's breath hitched and a grim smile spread over his face.

"It seems… that we might be too late," Hiruzen muttered and Minato looked wide-eyed at the document that Hiruzen pulled out, "Hatake Sakumo was sent with a squad of Jonin to make sure that the alliance between Kusagakure and Iwa fails, without any provocation on their part Kumo and Kiri wouldn't try to attack us in a two-front war."

"What?" Yamato asked taken aback. He knew that the mission was important, but that it was this? Sakumo nearly sacrificed the whole nation to save a few… no, he couldn't think like this.

Hatake Sakumo was a victim by circumstances he couldn't control, because Konoha ninja weren't trained like that.

"Maybe I should have send a few ROOT with them…" Hiruzen sighed, feeling the old age creeping on him, "at least we have some kind of warning now, Minato you will take a team of your choice to the Kannabi Bridge before any defense can be built."

Yamato hurried writing any information he knew down.

"The Kannabi Bridge was something we got too late the last time," Yamato said hurried, "it marked the death of Uchiha Obito, and a bit later Nohara Rin, who was used by Kiri as an explosive Sanbi Jinchuuriki."

Keeping it hidden from him would only make it harder. Minato's eyes widened at the names, it was a team he had requested himself.

"I want everything on these papers, Yamato," Hiruzen grinded his teeth, this was far worse than he expected, "Minato, take only Jonin."

Sadly they wouldn't be able to stop the war, but they could probably begin with an advantage.

Yamato certainly hoped so.

—

Naruto and Sara were on their way to the Daimyo of the Land of Wind to talk about the possible war and how it could affect them. Roran was a sovereign territory in the Land of Wind, only allied with Sunagakure by the means of hiring the ninja for missions.

Though right now, Konohagakure seemed to be a much better village to ally itself to, but due to the location of Roran, a war with the Land of Fire would mean that the Land of Wind would try to take their city as a fortress.

What they didn't expect on their way there was an elderly priest looking ready to die appearing in front of them.

Something in Naruto stirred, the Kyuubi has been awfully silent since he stranded in the past, but right now it seemed as if it sought out to the old man.

"Shukaku…" Kyuubi grumbled, sounding tired and worn out.

Naruto's eyes widened, he didn't expect to meet the Jinchuuriki before Gaara, no. But this old man, even if he used the sand of Shukaku Naruto knew he could take care of him.

"Halt," Sara ordered and the caravan stopped. Both stepped out and stood in front of the old man.

"It seems Shukaku has been right…" the old man said, tired, "I am Bunpuku, the Jinchuuriki of the Ichibi."

The old man tried bowing and nearly fell over, but Naruto grabbed his shoulders and held up upright.

"You don't need to bow, Bunpuku of Sunagakure," Naruto said, his eyes on the shivering old man's hands.

Heart and Acceptance.

"I'm sorry, I might have done something foolish," Bunpuku said, "I fled Sunagakure to meet you, Naruto-sama."

Naruto nodded, remembering how Suna used their Jinchuuriki. This old man had no place in war, he probably would be killed to put Shukaku into a more suitable ninja.

Sara helped Naruto bring the Jinchuuriki into their carriage and sat him in front of them.

"Why did you wish to meet me, Bunpuku-san?" Naruto asked while Sara listened on. He told her about the Kyuubi of course, and while she was wary she knew that Naruto wouldn't break his promise to protect her from anything.

"Shukaku said something about one of his siblings being nearby," Bunpuku said, and Naruto wondered how it was possible to shiver in the middle of the desert, "he wished for me to talk to you."

Naruto nodded, trying to help the priest when he suddenly started coughing.

Grabbing Bunpuku's shoulder however led to something else.

Suddenly both of them sat on water, behind Naruto a cage and in front of him Shukaku, free.

The reason Shukaku wasn't fleeing was simple, the Sandaime would easily capture him again, Bunpuku was his only ally.

"You look miserable, Kurama," Shukaku said and the old fox behind Naruto growled, but had no power to stand up, "your Chakra, it's leaving."

Naruto's eyes widened, turning to the seal and seeing that it was still fully intact, yet Kurama looked darker than usual, weaker.

"You are not dying, Naruto," Kurama said. Naruto wondered how when exactly the Kyuubi acquired a name which Shukaku obviously knew, "I am returning to your mother."

Naruto's eyes widened at that. His mother had the Kyuubi before him?

"Why?" Naruto asked and it was Bunpuku that answered.

"You are not of this time, are you?" Bunpuku asked, his hands together in a prayer, "Shukaku mentioned something about Kurama's Chakra being off."

Naruto again didn't understand anything, but if he had to explain it, it seemed that there couldn't be two Kyuubi's at the same time. He didn't know that only the Yang half was in him and the original whole's pull was too strong.

Had he had both halves, his body would have probably been ripped apart.

"This man," Shukaku began, "he will die soon, this priest who reminds me of the Sage of Six Paths…"

Bunpuku's head was lowered, trying to hide a smile, but yet the tears escaped his eyes again. Kurama felt that his sibling wasn't lying, this man has gained the trust of Shukaku, the worst of them all.

"What do you want from me then?" Kurama said. "I can't save the dead."

"We can feel it," Bunpuku and Shukaku said at the same, but only Shukaku continued, "the trust you have laid into this boy, even if you don't want to admit it. I don't want the village that made this old priest suffer to take me again. I wish to stay with him."

Shukaku pointed at Naruto who still tried to process everything.

"What do you mean!?" Naruto shouted, pointing at Shukaku and the elderly priest, "I should become the Jinchuuriki of this lunatic!?"

"This Kurama is dying," Shukaku said, "and I believe that his trust in you is not misplaced, even if I feel the darkness in your heart."

All Bijuu had some kind of ability to feel intent, especially bad one.

"Naruto," Kurama breathed out heavily, the color of his fur darkening even more, "accept."

"Why should I trust you?" Naruto asked angrily and it was Bunpuku that talked again, standing up and moving over to him.

"Shukaku… he is a good boy, but I don't think he is happy about what happened to his father's teachings," Bunpuku said, "there is no need to make distinction between human and beast."

Bunpuku's hands began glowing and he held them to Naruto's head. Even if Bunpuku was old, he was still a Jinchuuriki, he learned many things.

"I will show you what I know of the Sage, and what I have learned of being with this good boy my whole life."

—

Naruto's eyes widened again as he jumped back into his seat, hitting his head against the carriage.

"Naruto!" Sara shouted, going with her hand over his head to check for any injury.

Bunpuku fell forward, life leaving his body and Naruto felt the last remnant of Kurama vanishing.

"…" Naruto was speechless, he accepted after seeing Bunpuku's life and he felt it, the belief that the Bijuu weren't as evil as everyone assumed.

No, the old man that Naruto lay down on the seat in front of them showed to him that everyone had darkness, not only the Bijuu but their Jinchuuriki as well.

"_I hope you can guide me as well as him,"_ Shukaku said, much calmer than what he knew of him, "_Bunpuku trusted you too, as foolish as I think it is, the Sage trusted us too once upon a time."_

He was the Jinchuuriki of the Ichibi now and the fox left him.

Naruto honestly didn't know what to think of that and instead tried not to cry for the old priest as he turned to Sara and tried explaining to her what they said.

—

"Welcome to my castle, Sara-dono," the Daimyo bowed to Sara, which she returned and gestured to Naruto.

"Thank you for having us here, Daimyo-dono," Sara greeted as Naruto bowed too, "this is my new minister, Naruto."

"Ah, yes," the Daimyo nodded, his eyes going over the blonde who still had a hard time controlling the sand that glided with him the whole time, "I heard of your former ministers betrayal…"

Of course he knew, they weren't sure who exactly got the weapons that Mukade sold, but Suna and the Daimyo's personal army probably received their fair share.

"I am sorry to interrupt the formalities," a minister said behind the Daimyo, "but we have to talk about something too serious to delay it."

"Indeed, please have a seat," the Daimyo gestured and both Sara and Naruto sat in front of the Daimyo, the ministers behind him, "war is coming soon, and I have received a letter from the Sandaime Kazekage about a marriage proposal to you."

"Indeed," Sara said, not sounding too happy about this being the first topic of their talk, "I refused because I already have a man I love, and refuse to betray him."

Naruto blushed at her words, the last few dinners went a bit better with them talking a lot and Naruto not shying away from most topics anymore.

"This is most unfortunate…" one of the ministers drawled, "indeed, how could a lowborn man such as him be worthy of the queen of Ror-"

"I will not have you insult my choice," Sara snapped, cutting him off, "I chose him because he is a great man, he saved me as well as my kingdom."

He couldn't 'insult' them by 'lying' about them just being angry that he cut off the weapon production she had no idea of.

"You insolent little brat, do you have any idea with-"

"Indeed she does," Naruto interrupted the minister, it seems the Daimyo wasn't going to see that as insult and instead listened, "because she is sitting in front of the Daimyo, and not in front of you, ministers."

The minister glared at him, but Naruto just grinned and pointed at himself, showing the places where he held weapons and the ministers remembered that he was actually a ninja.

Fools.

"Let us continue," Sara said after the ministers stopped pestering, "the war will drain the Land of Wind of resources, I think that it would be of an advantage should we ally ourselves with the Land of Fire."

"Never!" One of the ministers shouted, looking ready to stand up but it was the raised hand of his Daimyo that made him sit down again

"Why do you think so, Queen Sara?" He asked, actual interest in his voice.

"It wasn't only Naruto that saved me," she explained, "a Konoha-nin appeared with the ability to teleport around the battlefield and never be hit. If he is a norm of their ninja, I believe we would have an advantage."

"Indeed," the Daimyo nodded, "under the peace treaties signed we have the most superficial of all documents with anyone we don't have conflicts with… Hatake Sakumo, Jiraiya and Orochimaru. These three could decimate the whole force of Sunagakure except for the Kazekage and that student of his."

They didn't know about Namikaze Minato. But they also didn't know about Sasori.

"Roran has left the weapon making to any blacksmith that might want to continue his work," Sara said, "Konoha itself has a strong bond with Takumi, because they are the only village still requesting their weaponry - something I know the Kazekage refused due to monetary problems."

"That is a proposal I will think about," the Daimyo said in the end, writing down her suggestion, "we also should talk about something else, a messenger appeared just before you arrived and told me that Shukaku escaped his cage."

Naruto clenched his fists and tried his best not to glare at the older man. Bunpuku escaped unjust punishment and Shukaku went with him because he trusted the old priest.

"And what of it?" Sara asked calmly.

"Nothing much, we would like to ask you for any information of his current hiding place," the last minister, the third one behind the other two said with a small voice, "I suggest avoiding him at all costs."

"And what is the name of his Jinchuuriki?" Sara asked, her eyes fixed with a hard glare.

"Whatever do you mean? It's Shukaku of course," the loudest of the three ministers said haughtily. Both had heard enough and stood up again.

"Thank you for your generosity, Daimyo-dono," Sara bowed and turned, "I hope we can have a talk without interruptions the last time. Heed my words, Konoha is too strong an enemy and too valuable as ally."

Sasori would kill the Third Kazekage a few years after the Third War to make him a puppet.

Naruto and Sara already planned to go to Amegakure to talk with their rebel forces, Naruto especially had said that it was necessary to save someone called Yahiko, or else everything will turn out worse than expected.

—

Naruto was lying in his bed back in Roran, it took them five days to go the rather small distance because of the sand storms.

He looked at his feet, seeing the sand spin around his bed.

"Hey Shukaku…" Naruto muttered, "can't you stop this?"

"_I only give you the ability," _Shukaku answered him, "_it's not my fault you don't have any control."_

It took Gaara less than 3 years to become as proficient with the sand as he had been, 6 years to completely wreck armies.

But Naruto couldn't just control his sand anytime, he had to sleep too.

"You said something about Kyu- no, Kurama, believing in me," Naruto said, trying to form a fist with the sand, "why exactly would he believe in me?"

"Your Chakra, it's familiar," Shukaku told him, "our father was a great man, only rivaled by his brother in strength and that was before he took in the Juubi, but his sons, those two were a class on their own too."

"His sons… Ashura and Indra, right?" Bunpuku knew many things, it was as if all the knowledge in the world was in that old priest and he believed in the teachings of the Ninshu millenia after its time ended.

"_Yes, Ashura had the Will to go forward and lead the world to peace with friendship and trust,"_ Shukaku said, "_Indra believed in the ideal of his grandmother, that only when all people were too weak to fight would they find peace."_

"Indra… seemed like a less likable person," Naruto sighed, "he was the ancestor of the Uchiha, right."

"_The Uchiha clan isn't as bad as everyone believes,"_ Shukaku admitted much to Naruto's surprise, "_they have the ability to unconditionally love those closest to them, but that love turns to hatred in the blink of an eye."_

"When that person dies, or when they feel betrayed," Naruto bit his lower lip, thinking back to Sasuke. The boy wasn't even alive yet, Itachi neither. Maybe Yamato could bring enough information to avoid the death of Shisui and the end of the Uchiha clan?

He certainly hoped that they had more ninja should Akatsuki become their enemies again.

"_The old man Bunpuku was a kind soul and losing him is a pain," _Shukaku said, admitting his thoughts, "_I felt as if I lost the Sage again, it's something we don't like. Kurama saw that you had the potential to bring good, but he is that kind of fox that wouldn't trust you without you proving anything."_

"So he wanted to see my determination, but he didn't want to admit it?" Naruto asked.

"_He didn't want to see your determination, he wanted to see the determination of mankind,"_ Shukaku corrected, "_because as much as Bunpuku reminded me of the Sage, you remind me of Ashura. Hard work and friendship - that was what Indra was lacking, a man like Indra working as hard as Ashura would have set him to the level of the Sage easily."_

Arrogance was weakness, Naruto knew. He made many mistakes when he was younger - he was too confident, too often.

"Thank you for entrusting his will to me then, Shukaku," Naruto said, closing his eyes, trying to sleep.

"_Humanity is scum," _Shukaku muttered, "_but I think I like you somewhat. Maybe it's something about you and that Gaara kid."_

Naruto grinned when sleep finally got to him.

—

The very next day Naruto was practising.

"Sabaku Kyuu…" Naruto lifted his hand, the sand actually moving with his will but before he could continue it suddenly broke apart and fell down, "not enough."

"_Nice naming though, was that the Gaara kid too?" _Naruto could hear Shukaku's grin on its face as he asked that.

"Yeah, by the end I was sure he could have lifted the whole desert of Suna." Naruto grinned too, spreading his arms wide as he looked at the desert.

"_Bullshit,"_ Shukaku said, "_no one but me has that kinda control."_

"Not even you," Naruto said, grabbing a bit of the sand, "maybe if I use Senjutsu it will work better?"

"_I still can't believe someone like you managed to learn the Sage Arts…"_ Shukaku grumbled, "_the Shodaime Hokage, that man was a real badass, beat down all nine of us."_

"I will be just as badass!" Naruto shouted, sitting down and starting to gather the Chakra.

Suddenly Naruto felt himself being pulled away and vanishing in smoke.

—

"You are… Uzumaki Naruto, right?" Naruto's eyes widened as the voice of a rather young Gamabunta. "You have five minutes to explain why exactly your name appeared on our scroll."

"Gamabunta!" Naruto shouted happily, trying to hug the big toad but he was hit and met the floor. Luckily he gathered the minisucle Nature energy that saved him from splattering across the floor.

"Four minutes - there is only one Uzumaki I know and it's not you," Gamabunta growled.

"Well that's a really funny story," Naruto laughed, "you see, if you summon Minato he can probably explain it to you… I'm… kind of from the future."

Gamabunta's eyes widened at his admission, but quickly snorted in amusement.

"You have to do better than tha-"

"He isn't lying," Fukusaku appeared on Gamabunta's shoulder, "the nature energy in his body, his Chakra isn't fluctuating at all, yet this is the Toad Sage Mode."

"Told you," Naruto grinned, showing Gamabunta the finger, "see, can we hurry this kind of up? I wasn't too far from Sara and I really need to protect her from anything, you know."

"I will go with him," Fukusaku said, "don't worry about me, I will listen to what he has to say and we can see if he Jiraiya and Minato have any information about him."

"Okay," Gamabunta nodded, making a hand seal and Naruto found himself on the place he was before, a small toad on his shoulder and Sara behind him.

"Narutooooo," she growled, "you can't just vanish like that!"

She hit him rather strongly and this time he felt the pain due to the Nature Chakra leaving him completely.

"Hahaha," Fukusaku laughed loudly, "reminds me of my wife, you did good, boy!"

- CHAPTER END

AN: Not quite what I wanted, like I said, it's not a too serious story in the end. Still if you like it, Review, if you have questions, PM me.

Also, if you have any suggestions, changing the past is rather annoying, suggest something maybe, I will see where that fits :P


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Now THIS chapter I actually enjoyed writing. School's out soon, so maybe I can get into my fast pace again.

Chapter 3: Red Blood, Red Hair, Red Hot Temper

—

"Uzumaki Kushina," the Kyuubi's voice actually rang through Kushina's head, frightening her. It was impossible! Or supposed to be impossible, if she wasn't willing she couldn't be contacted by it!

"What do you want, fox?" Kushina hissed, concentrating on the seal to see her nemesis.

The Kyuubi was different from the last time she saw it. It was… brighter? Less hostile, the whole killing intent it spread around was lacking.

"Your husband has a tale to tell," it said, making Kushina wonder what he meant. She wasn't married yet, Minato wanted to avoid the wedding until the possible war was over, "let me begin like this, I don't believe keeping you away from him is the smart thing to do. My name is Kurama."

Kushina's eyes widened at the polite introduction.

"Wh-what are you talking about?" The red-haired woman asked.

"You felt your Chakra increase these last few weeks," Kurama said, the chains and pillars piercing him not allowing any movement, "that was because your son from 20 years in the future appeared in this time due to a seal the Yondaime created - and you died, sealing me in him."

Kushina shook her head, she couldn't trust the Kyuubi.

"You don't need to trust me, Uzumaki Kushina," Kurama said as if reading her mind, "but ask him who he met. As him about Uzumaki Naruto."

Kushina's eyes widened at the name, a strange feeling coming from Kurama. Not hostility. It had something… nostalgic.

Kurama didn't want that bastard controlling him again. He would trust the mother as much as he felt he could trust the son.

—

"Hatake Sakumo returned, his team failed and Iwagakure officially declared war," Hiruzen breathed out some smoke, putting his pipe away for the moment, "Kumogakure isn't actively offensive, but to get their spoils they send their ninja through our lands… what is more interesting is this."

He shoved forward a letter and a scroll. The letter was from Roran, specifically the queen who was aided by Minato's son, and the scroll was a treaty from Suna, signed by the Daimyo himself.

Minato's eyes widened, they didn't expect anyone helping them, this war would be harsh, as bad as the wars that came before, who knows what Hanzo might do?

Nothing now, because having Suna as ally would mean that Ame couldn't show any weakness or Iwa would try to attack too.

"But… why would Suna ally themselves with us?" he asked the older man, making Hiruzen grin.

"They lost their Jinchuuriki," Hiruzen pointed at the letter, specifically at the bolded kanji. It was a minimal coding, barely worth it but still effective considering it was a Suna courier that brought it.

"How?" Jiraiya sat on the couch to the left of the room.

"It seems that Naruto-san managed to unseal the Bijuu from the old man and sealed it inside him," Hiruzen said, the code wasn't very clear. "Suna lost their Bijuu. Naruto carries it now."

"I didn't know he knew about seals…" Minato muttered, smiling. That really was their son…

"MINATOOOO!" A voice echoed through the whole village, making the men shiver and dread what was to come. "COME HOME, NOW!"

He was out faster than even Hiraishin would have made it possible. A few seconds after he left it was Jiraiya that suddenly vanished, summoned by the toads.

"You still haven't finished the reports, have you?" Hiruzen asked the obviously tired Yamato, who barely looked up from the papers even as the news about Naruto came up.

"All is changed… now Suna is an ally, that means Tsunade won't be fighting them - which also means that Iwa won't get the upper hand now that the Kannabi bridge is in dire need of repair and we still hid a lot of exploding seals around… I doubt this war can even really start."

Of course that was just wishful thinking.

—

"Why did you summon me?" Jiraiya asked the moment he arrived, sitting in front of the old toads.

"Uzumaki Naruto," Fukasaku said, pointing at the scroll he lay in front of them, "is a Toad Sage. He is _the_ Toad Sage."

Jiraiya looked wide-eyed at the name and raised his head slowly.

"You telling me he can…"

"When given time he can enter a Sage Mode even you can't equal," Fukasaku said, "and what I want to know is, is any of what he said really true?"

"You believe him, don't you?" Jiraiya said, "we have proof, information from an ANBU that came with him from that future."

"Good," Fukasaku nodded while Shima crossed her arms.

"I am still not happy, he hasn't proven anything to us yet!" she muttered, glaring at his name on the scroll.

"He has proven what he can do, and we know he can't be a bad person if Jiraiya let him sign this contract," Fukasaku said, making Jiraiya nod. Why shouldn't he let his student's son sign? Around the time Naruto would be old enough he was probably old enough to think about settling down.

"So, what do you think we should do about him?" Jiraiya asked.

"Nothing," Fukasaku said, "we have no reason to do anything. Right now he is only protecting that girl and he won't hesitate to fight Suna for it. It seems Suna tried assassinating her when she refused a marriage between her and the heir of the Sandaime Kazekage."

Jiraiya clenched his fists. The Sandaime Kazekage wasn't a nice man, even if he had the best interest of the village on his mind. Suna wasn't a kind place, especially not to the weak - people that failed in their recruitment would be thrown out without training and often died fighting groups of bandits.

"But the main problem is, while Suna might be unfamiliar with the Toad Sage mode, they are familiar with your summoning," Fukasaku said, "which means he can't summon us to help him, lest he shows his ties to Konoha."

"That means in case of multiple summoning attacking, or maybe even a Jinchuuriki he would be vulnerable or prone to show his abilities, making him a bigger target," Jiraiya scratched his head, "what can we do then?"

"I don't know, right now would be a horrible mistake to put you near them, the Sandaime won't allow it," Shima scoffed, "you will have to patrol the borders after all."

"I will talk with him," Jiraiya sighed, "goodbye."

Smoke and he was gone.

—

"Minato…" Kushina seemed a lot calmer now that he stood in front of her.

"Y-y-yes, dear?" he stuttered. Really, he's Namikaze Minato, he doesn't stutter!

"Who is Uzumaki Naruto?" she asked. And within five seconds multiple things happened.

First, Minato's eyes widened and he took a step back.

Second, seeing that as a confirmation that her husband was hiding something, Kushina took a step forward.

Before Minato could even try dodging, a chain was gathered around him stopping him from just using the Hiraishin and Kushina wrestled him down to the floor. Her Chakra… it felt more potent.

"So it's true," Kushian muttered, "our son, isn't he?"

Minato wanted to ask how she knew that, but he couldn't talk with her hand pushing his face onto the floor. Now that he had time he could use the Hiraishin, but that would make her even more angry.

"Kurama, that is… the Kyuubi told me, he was in him when he came back in time," Kushina answered, understanding him well enough, "we… we didn't survive that future. We didn't live with our son."

Minato heard from Yamato. He knew. And it hurt him as much as it did her, yet he dreaded what would come next.

"I want to meet him," Kushina said, her body shaking, "I want to… tell me where he is…"

"Kushina…" Minato got out as she let go of him and removed the chains, "you know we can't-"

"You know nothing!" she shouted into his face, trying to slap him. This time he blocked the hit and he stood up.

"Believe me I know," he said, hugging her, "I saw him. A splendid Shinobi, strong and courageous. But right now, there is war coming. We can't let Kumo or anyone else have the chance of taking you."

"Because of the Kyuubi," she whispered, "because I'm an Uzumaki who can beat down Bijuu. Kurama has been more honest that you lot!"

"I'm sorry," he said, looking at the floor over her shoulder.

"You really should be."

—

"The Daimyo ordered an abort on the operation to destroy and scavenge anything from Roran," the Sandaime Kazekage said in front of his most trusted ninja, "the reason is simple, due to our recent loss and the fact that the Daimyo saw fit to order us to ally ourselves with Konoha, we will be fighting Iwagakure in this war."

"But why?!" someone asked, "what got the Daimyo so scared? The Shukaku is completely useless if we didn't just release it in the middle of Konoha!"

"Even if we did that… with people like Jiraiya and the Sandaime, the beast would be sealed and thrown back at us with a looser seal," Sasori stood behind the Kage, "the Daimyo's plan is sound, in case of any weakness we can still switch sides, due to Iwa not knowing we want to ally ourselves with Konoha."

"But why should Konoha accept?" an Anbu asked.

"Because Sarutobi Hiruzen is a peace loving fool," the Sandaime said, "and because they don't know we lost the Shukaku."

After reading through the recommendation letter once, the Sandaime as strong as he is, didn't find any code in Roran's letter to Konoha. The reason for that incompetence was simple, unknown to many the Sandaime Kazekage was blind.

Experimenting with the Iron Sand he managed to blind himself but learned something very special, he could feel any amount of iron in people and feel the form of every person, recognizing them. To read he let the iron sand go through the slight dents a pen made - the disadvantage at that was that he couldn't see bolded letters.

It was a small mistake he never really realized - but now he would regret it. To err is human after all.

—

"Naruto," Sara said, grabbing his arm as he lost the balance trying to float with sand, "are you sure that this will work?"

"A hundred percent!" Naruto grinned, grabbing her hand and pulling her up.

"Hey!" she shouted, not looking down when they started going higher.

"Don't worry," he said, still holding her hand, "even if we fall, I can just land softly."

"I know, but what if you don't mana-" she slipped down and he held her in bridal style as they met the floor, completely unharmed.

"Don't worry," Naruto repeated, "I won't let any harm come to you, remember?"

"Ass…" she muttered.

It's been three days since the official declaration of war from Iwagakure - two days since Konoha and Suna became official allies even if that fact was hidden from Iwa due to Jiraiya's excellent work.

What Konoha had to struggle with right now were internal affairs mainly - namely Orochimaru, the threat Danzo poses in the future and above all the Uchiha's.

"Hey Sara…" Naruto began awkwardly, still carrying her on their way to the queen's tower.

"Hm?" she looked up to him, seeing him blush.

"I…" he didn't really know what he should say, before the silence could go any longer they finally reached the throne room, "don't you want to walk on your own?"

"But you're warm," she whispered sleepily, nearly cutting off his air by holding on too tightly.

"We are in a desert," he sighed, she didn't listen. Walking up to the throne he just sat down, her not leaving his lap. Food would be served soon, the servants should wake them up.

Closing his eyes he dozed off too.

—

"A friend of mine once told me something after his teacher died," Naruto said, sitting in front of Sara and glaring at the Shogi board. He had no idea how to play it, she would beat him every time.

"Oh," she said, looking up to him.

"When his teacher was dying he held him, and his teacher whispered something with his dying breath," Naruto moved another piece. Loss in one turn, "he asked him to protect his 'King', at first he didn't really understand but in the end it was obvious - his king was his unborn child."

Sara slipped when she lifted a piece and crashed onto the Shogi table.

"Hah!? Sara, are you alright?" he asked worriedly, grabbing her shoulders and examining her for any wounds. "Are you poisoned? No, did something hit you?"

"No, no!" she pushed his hands away, "everything's alright, I guess I was just surprised."

"Why?" Naruto asked, picking up the pieces that were thrown around.

"You talking about children like that," she answered.

"Ah…" he scratched his cheek with a finger, looking embarrassed, "thing is… I was an orphan, and I didn't really have many friends - so I always wanted to have a family. If someone adopted me, or when I'm married myself…"

"I understand," she said, grabbing his hand as he put the pieces back on the table, "hey Naruto."

"Yeah?"

"I really don't like repeating myself," she all but growled, "I really like you. And we still didn't really talk about it over dinner."

"…" he was silent, looking at her with a blush. She was blushing too, he could see.

Throwing hesitation out of the window he leaned forward and kissed her.

—

Onoki was looking grim over the ruins of the border village he single handedly destroyed. After the Kannabi bridge was destroyed they needed another way to get supplies through to the village and even if he evacuated, this would have been a weak point due to the food produced here.

Iwa didn't have much fertile ground - it depended on the borders to Kusa. Quantity was what counted now, not quality though. The quality ninja were their enemies, the only one who he could see as equal was Hiruzen that old bastard.

Another problem was that their Jinchuuriki were young. Untrained. Relatively of course, both around twenty years old but still unable to fight that woman, Kushina…

The last time she was called due to border patrols spotting Roshi, she crushed him and sent him back with broken bones. If he declared war before that, she would have just ripped the Bijuu out of him.

Hopefully Suna and Kumo would realize the need of destroying Konoha. It was for the greater good of their villages - a plot to show the people that hired their ninja that they were not weak. But he was also afraid of what could happen in Ame… Hanzo has been awfully quiet lately.

—

Yahiko stood in front of his friends. The group became larger by every day, the didn't have a name yet but due to the threat of a coming war Hanzo was raising taxes, taking the food everyone so desperately needed.

"Comrades," Yahiko shouted, "this is our first meeting! We are the ones who know the pain of war, we saw it with our eyes! Our families shattered, our homes destroyed, our siblings starved!"

A large wave of agreements rang through them.

"Iwagakure has not yet dared to step into this place! We will not fight for Hanzo, we fight for our home," he said, spreading his arms wide, "currently it seems that Konoha doesn't plan assaults, which makes them a potential ally, we only wish to keep them away, not to go to war. We will be the aegis of the Rain!"

Another wave of agreements. Nagato and Konan smiled when he looked back to them.

"And we will survive, live through this war like we survived the others!" he became louder, "we will live long enough so we can see the dawn coming from the east!"

"Akatsuki!" All of them called.

"The Dawn is here!" he shouted and they raised weapons and fists towards the sky, "and it will make the clouds stop weeping!"

—

"Kusagakure is currently trying to lay siege on our borders," Jiraiya told his teacher, bringing out a map and drawing circles on it "they are here already, nothing we can't deal with. Due to destroying the Kannabi bridge, Iwa probably won't get any supplies fast enough and they will have delays for weeks."

"So if we beat Kusa back, and bring our assault through their borders," Hiruzen sighed, "that would mean we could launch a first strike and beat them back?"

"Yes, but a force like that would make us vulnerable to Kirigakure… it seems that they decided to join the war too while Kumo is awfully quiet."

"The Sandaime Raikage won't keep his nose out of this war," Hiruzen stood up and looked out of his window, "right now I hope this strategical advantage remains. Yamato finished all reports and if anything there is true then the moment we beat Kusagakure back we will lose a few squads due to a surprise attack of Iwa…"

"It isn't a surprise anymore though, is it?" Jiraiya grinned.

"I guess it isn't…" Hiruzen answered grimly.

Yamato was a genius. He learned all the reports - he could recall all of them from memory. And the names of the ninja he wrote, they would live.

He would make sure of that personally.

—

AN: Heyyyy, thanks for reading. Again, sorry for not updating for so long. You know, real life and all that.

If you like it, review. If you have a question, PM me.

Also, Kushina: Soon.


End file.
